OTHL team for Nagaon National Championship announced

Defender Juma Shree will lead an 18-member Citizen Hockey XI team for the 6th Hockey India Sub-Junior Women’s National championship to be held at Nagaon, a town about 120 km from Guwahati, in Assam from 5th Jan.

The team has been selected after most girls from the One Thousand Hockey Legs subscribed schools in Kolkata and sparingly from other parts took part in a two-phase selection trails held last month.

11-year old Hiramani Das, a 6th class student, is the youngest of the team. The small mid is delighted to go Assam tour though not fully aware of the significance of making debut for the Citizen Hockey team at the tender age.

Delhi based NGO Hockey Citizen Group has been running its flagship program One Thousand Hockey Legs (OTHL) in Kolkata since 2009.

Last year it further activated with induction of six more schools on its roll.

Hockey India, parent body of field hockey in India, has accorded affiliation to the NGO by virtue of which it fields its team in Hockey India Sub-Junior National Championships since last three years.

OTHL teams named ‘Citizen Hockey XI’ have participated in the previous Baroda and Jammu editions of the age-group Nationals.

However, its first time its girls team will take part in any Nationals which is another feather in the much acclaimed NGO.

Since the host Nagaon is close to the OTHL’s Kolkata Centre, the management decided to send combined Kolkata team which will boost the city’s hockey in a big way.

The team: Bera Sudeshna (gk), Khataun Harjeera, Shree Juma, Dasmal Dipshika, Modi Monisha, Chakrabarti Rima, Soren Safali, Malik Priya, Sheilk Sarmina, Dasgupta Megha, Ghosh Sirsha, Namoni Pariya, Shaw Hritika, Dutta Riya, Parveen Ayesha, Das Hiramani, Das Anuradha, Das Sujata. Coach; Nashim Uddin Manager: Shukla Ghosh